Blog

Ryerson University has been selected to host the 2017 edition of Canada's largest academic gathering, the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences. The Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, which organizes Congress every year, and the university made the announcement on March 6 at a Ryerson event called Humanities: Past present and future., At Ryerson, Provost and Vice President Mohamed Lachemi, President Sheldon Levy, and Faculty of Arts Dean Jean-Paul Boudreau all expressed their excitement at the announcement.

Congress 2017 will take place from May 27 to June 2, 2017. Watch the video of the announcement here, or read the media release here.

This week, Antonia Maioni, president of the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, spoke out on the role of the humanities and social sciences in moving Canadian innovation to the next level. Maioni said that “More than ever, content, context and technology need to merge in forging new pathways and cultures of entrepreneurship and innovation. The other requirement is to cultivate the sense of wonder, excitement and a can-do attitude to bring the expertise of the social sciences and humanities research community to bear on Canada’s challenges” (The Hill Times, subscription required).

The topic of innovation is also entwined in a series of regional events occurring this month across Canada. In collaboration with members of the SSHRC Leaders network, SSHRC is supporting a series of eight regional events that will take place across Canada during the month of March, each serving to “highlight insights from research in the social sciences and humanities on issues related to a future challenge area” (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council). The majority of these events will be open to the public, so be sure to see when each is happening in your area and follow #futurecanada on Twitter.

Last but not least! Tuesday’s Big Thinking lecture “Why do some Canadians become terrorists?” was presented by Lorne Dawson, Professor and Chair, Department of Sociology and Legal Studies, University of Waterloo. Professor Dawson explored the many variables at work as they relate to this topic, the ways we can use existing forms of knowledge to model what is happening, and how this can help us create policies and programs that will best prevent further radicalization to violence. Prior to his talk, Professor Dawson was also interviewed by CBC Ottawa Morning, so be sure to listen in here.